The following are today's upgrades for Validea's P/E/Growth Investor model based on the published strategy of Peter Lynch. This strategy looks for stocks trading at a reasonable price relative to earnings growth that also possess strong balance sheets.
FIRST COMMONWEALTH FINANCIAL CORP (FCF) is a small-cap value stock in the Money Center Banks industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Peter Lynch changed from 72% to 74% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest.
Company Description: First Commonwealth Financial Corporation is a financial holding company. The Company's operating subsidiaries include First Commonwealth Bank (the Bank), First Commonwealth Insurance Agency, Inc. (FCIA) and FRAMAL. It provides a diversified array of consumer and commercial banking services through its bank subsidiary, FCB. It also provides trust and wealth management services through FCB and offer insurance products through FCIA. The Bank operated 126 community banking offices in 30 counties throughout western and central Pennsylvania and throughout Ohio, as well as commercial lending operations in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Canton, Cleveland, Columbus, Canfield and Hudson, Ohio. The Bank also operates a network of 138 automated teller machines. All of its ATMs are part of the NYCE and MasterCard/Cirrus networks, both of which operate nationwide. The Bank is a member of the Allpoint ATM network, which allows surcharge-free access to over 55,000 ATMs.
The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria.
| YIELD ADJUSTED P/E TO GROWTH (PEG) RATIO: | PASS |
| EARNINGS PER SHARE: | PASS |
| TOTAL DEBT/EQUITY RATIO: | NEUTRAL |
| EQUITY/ASSETS RATIO: | PASS |
| RETURN ON ASSETS: | PASS |
| FREE CASH FLOW: | NEUTRAL |
| NET CASH POSITION: | NEUTRAL |
Detailed Analysis of FIRST COMMONWEALTH FINANCIAL CORP
SCANSOURCE INC (SCSC) is a small-cap value stock in the Computer Hardware industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Peter Lynch changed from 0% to 91% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest.
Company Description: ScanSource, Inc. is a hybrid distributor connecting devices to partners across hardware, software-as-a-service (SaaS), connectivity and cloud. The Company provides technology solutions and services from suppliers of mobility, barcode, point-of-sale (POS), payments, physical security and networking, communications and collaboration, connectivity and cloud services. It segments include Specialty Technology Solutions and Modern Communications & Cloud. Its Specialty Technology Solutions segment includes enterprise mobile computing, data capture, barcode printing, POS, payments, networking, electronic physical security, cyber security and other technologies. Its Modern Communications & Cloud segment includes communications technologies and services for voice, video conferencing, wireless, data networking, cyber security, cable, unified communications and collaboration, cloud and technology services. Its segments operate in the United States, Canada, Brazil and the United Kingdom.
The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria.
| INVENTORY TO SALES: | PASS |
| YIELD ADJUSTED P/E TO GROWTH (PEG) RATIO: | PASS |
| EARNINGS PER SHARE: | PASS |
| TOTAL DEBT/EQUITY RATIO: | PASS |
| FREE CASH FLOW: | NEUTRAL |
| NET CASH POSITION: | NEUTRAL |
Detailed Analysis of SCANSOURCE INC
About Peter Lynch: Perhaps the greatest mutual fund manager of all-time, Lynch guided Fidelity Investment's Magellan Fund to a 29.2 percent average annual return from 1977 until his retirement in 1990, almost doubling the S&P 500's 15.8 percent yearly return over that time. Lynch's common sense approach and quick wit made him one of the most quoted investors on Wall Street. ("Go for a business that any idiot can run -- because sooner or later, any idiot probably is going to run it," is one of his many pearls of wisdom.) Lynch's bestseller One Up on Wall Street is something of a "stocks for the everyman/everywoman", breaking his approach down into easy-to-understand concepts.
About Validea: Validea is aninvestment researchservice that follows the published strategies of investment legends. Validea offers both stock analysis and model portfolios based on gurus who have outperformed the market over the long-term, including Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Peter Lynch and Martin Zweig. For more information about Validea, click here
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
